This raises a bunch of questions. Can Parker actually make this happen, especially as some filmmakers and theater owners are resisting the idea? Will your experience at home be diminished? And is $50 really worth it for a movie, considering that even the latest Blu-ray movies retail for $30 or so?

What’s The Screening Room All About?

Parker’s new venture, in association with partner Prem Akkaraju and represented by Hollywood attorney Skip Brittenham, is still in the nascent phase. There isn’t even an official website yet. Variety was the first to report news of this fledgling startup, and very few details are available so far.

You’ll require a special set-top box, which has a one-time cost of $150.

Parker and his associates claim to have made this set-top box with enough anti-piracy measures to ensure it stops illegal transmissions or copies.

So far, there is no release date or indication of availability for The Screening Room. And naturally, the bigwigs of the entertainment industry have an opinion about it.

Who’s For It, Who’s Against It

This isn’t the first attempt at bringing newly released movies to people’s homes. Back in 2011, DirecTV tried this through satellite services but failed to make a dent. It was opposed by several Hollywood executives, directors, and industry groups. But things are a little different this time.

One of the biggest detractors of DirecTV was filmmaker Peter Jackson, who made the The Lord Of The Rings movies. He was against DirecTV partly for its lack of piracy controls and also because it only brought movies eight weeks after their release. But this time, Jackson loves the idea of The Screening Room, convinced by its anti-piracy technology and overall package. Joining him in the For camp are directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and J.J. Abrams, who have all backed the new service by investing in it.

This is why The Screening Room reps have been courting studio executives to actively collaborate with the new service. And they’ve been making just as many trips to talk to the startup’s biggest detractors: theater owners.

The Art House Convergence (AHC) and the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) represent big hurdles for The Screening Room. However, AMC Theaters, the world’s largest cinema house chain, has already expressed some interest, thanks to the startup working actively with them and claiming that $20 out of every $50 purchase would be fed into the existing distributor-exhibitor infrastructure.

Some filmmakers have also come out against The Screening Room, claiming that the big screen is central to the cinematic experience. Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Jon Landau have expressed their concerns about the new service and claimed that from “both a creative and financial standpoint”, a theatrical release is critical to the film industry.

The Screening Room vs. Movie Theaters

For consumers, the big question is whether $50 (over and above the $150 cost of the set-top box) is worth the price for watching a movie at home. It seems like a lot of money compared to the average $8 ticket price in the U.S.

However, let’s look at the math a little more closely. Take a typical family of four. That’s four $8 tickets, totaling $32. According to Yahoo, a large bucket of popcorn averages to $8.15. A large soda costs about $6, and a packet of M&Ms costs $4.25. Add in the cost of gas or an Uber ride to and from the theater and our family is facing a lot more than $50 for a trip to the movies.

Who Would Want to Pay?

All of this brings us to the big point: Who would want to pay $50 for a service like The Screening Room. Well, I think there are quite a few scenarios where it’s useful.

Families with kids or babies: It can be difficult to go to the cinema when you have kids with you. From controlling a bawling child to changing a diaper, some parents would love to have an option to watch the latest films without worrying about any childcare issues.

Injured, sick, and old-aged people: Those with some major injury or illness can’t just go to see Star Wars in a movie theater. Older folks who would rather not leave the comfort of their home for just a movie can get the latest flicks at home without a worry.

Could It Actually Happen?

Right now, the jury is still out on whether The Screening Room is a doomed concept or a revolution waiting to happen. Both sides seem to want to protect their interests.

The current ecosystem of studios, distributors, and exhibitors is strong and extremely profitable, so multiple analysts claim that neither side will want to rock the boat too hard.

However, from a consumer perspective, The Screening Room makes perfect sense. As Arianna Huffington says in Variety, “Often people who are making a lot of money now don’t see why they need to adjust. They refuse to recognize how the world is changing.”

Would You Pay $50?

So, now you know what The Screening Room is all about, here’s the big question… Would you pay $50 to watch a new movie on release day instead of heading to the theater?

To help you mentally calculate whether it could ever be worth it, work out how much you spend on going to the movies (all expenses included) these days. And then let us know what conclusions you draw in the comments below!

Wait a month and its online for free (90% of the garbage in theaters now it's worth spending $5 to see), wait 2 months and it will be in Redbox, Google Play, Amazon Prime, etc.

No way would I or anyone I know spend $150 for a set-top box and then $50 per movie... We don't have the time to spend watching movies; So the set-top box would be used once every couple months.

Who calculates the cost of snacks when going to the Theater? That's why Purses were invented for, to sneaking beer and candie into the theater... just load up the girlfriend/wifes purse and you are good to go...

And of course these directors/producers are behind this... if they can just get 1000 mentally challenged people to fork over $50 for 1 movie; that $50,000.

Oh, have you not heard?!.... Kodi is the word! ....Kodi ! Kodi ! .....Kodi is the word ! :) $50?!! Was movies discovered today. Today movie coasts $20 and Netflix banned VPN . Just when i thought i was out they pull me back in (Al Pacino)....so i got Kodi. Why you may ask and the sweet answer is because I can and i don't like greedy businesses.

You get 48 hrs to watch the movie, but I have read on other sites that it is for one time. You can't watch it again( can't replay the movie). For families, or groups of friends it might be okay, but watching a movie at home is not the same as at a movie theater, so costs cannot be compared exactly.

No Way!
The people that came up with this are insane.
Most of the crap they churn out I wouldn't pay $5 to watch, at home or anywhere else.
Hollywood cranks out nothing but drivel.
For instance, I downloaded a rip of the movie Chappie, after watching it I feel I was the one that was ripped off. There's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back. Where's my compensation?
The last time I went to an actual theater I walked out about half way through.The movie was Pitch Black and again, where's my compensation?
Hollywood is full of spoiled little rich kids who think they can produce, or direct, or act, when in fact they don't have an original idea in their heads.
Take Johnny Depp for instance, big spoiled rich kid who can't do anything in any movie except mimic Charlie Chaplin. Seriously, watch any movie of his and think, Charlie Chaplin and you'll see what I mean.
Besides all that, what does Redbox cost, like $1? There's nothing Hollywood can crank out that isn't worth waiting a week or to and renting for $1, and most of the time even that is a rip off.
$50, that's hilarious. Sad thing is they take themselves seriously and think people will pay that for the crap they spew out.
Gotta laugh at the whole idea.

I can see the appeal for families as $50 (or £35) would be cheaper than taking mum, dad and the kids to the flicks.

However, for couples or singles it would not be worth the extra cost.

It's almost double the cost of paying for two tickets!

Cinema tickets have to take into account the cost of screening the film, the staff, distribution and ta etc.... However, I pay for the electric and TV set in my house so where is the justification in the $50 for watching a movie in my own home?

$20 (£15) would be a better figure, i think.

THere is still scope for film makers to make their money and there is more chance of somebody wanting to watch the film more than once before it comes out of DVD or normal TV.